If the contest for the HSBC Overseas Scholarships were a soccer tournament, HKUST would be the only university in Hong Kong to ever score a hat trick. Each university is allowed to nominate three candidates to compete for the nine scholarships on offer. This year all three of our applicants came from Year 1 of our prestigious Global Business Program — Kristy Chiu Ka-Ki, Pinky Wong Nga-Ping and Sherwin Wong Po-Yi. All three came through with flying colors. Each scholarship offering the successful candidates the chance to pursue a one-year study at an Ivy League University is worth about HK$450,000, which pays for their air fare, tuition and living expenses.

Kristy and Pinky have both chosen to go to Harvard, one to study Corporate Social Responsibility, the other to pursue business management, while Sherwin is destined to Columbia University to zero in on Social Enterprises. What is remarkable about our wonder girls is not just that they are winners, but how they aced the selection interviews with thoughtful answers.

When Kristy was asked what she considered the most important thing in life is, her answer from the heart was 'passion and being yourself' — passion is a necessary ingredient for success while being true to oneself is the essence of individuality. To the same question, Pinky had a totally different but equally winning answer. To her love is most important in life. She came to this realization when she was steeped in her preparations for her A Level exams. She was awash in the love of her family whom she had long neglected. Sherwin wanted to pursue Social Enterprises because to her business is not all about money. She felt that one-off donations from charitable organizations can only go so far. She is determined to learn the tricks of the trade to guide the development of social enterprises for the disadvantaged in Hong Kong.

These answers are not outstanding because they are clever, but because they ring so true, straight from the heart and filtered by intelligence. Their originality comes deep from within. Three girls from different family backgrounds — all united in their desire to serve the community that has nurtured them.